The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is on its way to becoming more common. The Reserve Bank of India has permitted card-like features such as 'tap to pay' and increased the limits for offline payment without a PIN. Banks can also enable UPI for "conversational payments," which allow customers to attach a payment while chatting with a bot.

While announcing the monetary policy statement, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das revealed the central bank's plans for UPI, which Das said was recognised in the G20 as the'most efficient and advanced payment system in the world.'

On cross-border UPI use, Das stated that it is already in use in Singapore, and that integration with the UAE will be completed in a few months. "Discussions are also underway with a few other countries for the linkage of payment systems, including some advanced economies that have shown a keen interest in connecting to UPI," Das said. In response to a question, RBI deputy governor T Rabi Sankar stated that Japan has expressed interest in integrating with UPI systems and that discussions are ongoing with the National Payments Corporation of India's international arm.

The conversational payment feature aims to increase digital accessibility across the country by supporting both smartphone and feature phone-based UPI channels. The introduction of this feature in Hindi and English, followed by its availability in more Indian languages, underscores the RBI's commitment to inclusivity, the governor said.